The Truth About The Landis Theater, and the Taxpayer Funded City Bailout

Vineland, N.J. - The Vineland Development Corporation has pushed back on claims by Ray Mamrak, tenant and former owner of The Landis Theater, that the city offered no support to help the venue succeed. This article outlines the circumstances surrounding the theater’s financial troubles and examines how Mamrak’s incompetence contributed to a taxpayer-funded bailout.


In April 2020, the Vineland Development Corporation (VDC) sold the Landis Theater to Ray Mamrak for $900,000. He was offered a 2 year lease purchase agreement, but decided to exercise the agreement early despite discouragement from the VDC due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.


In order to support the operations at the theater, the VDC agreed to provide Ray Mamrak with several loans totaling $375,000 at 0% interest. These loans were secured with a lien on the property and UCC filings on all equipment.

In May 2024, Ray Mamrak’s lender for the purchase of The Landis Theater, First Platinum, filed a foreclosure action due to his failure to pay. In order to save the theater, the VDC agreed to purchase and Ray Mamrak agreed to sell the property and all equipment at the property for the outstanding liens on the property. This amount totaled $1,800,000, excluding the VDC’s liens of $375,000.


Once the property was saved by the Vineland Development Corporation, the VDC agreed to rent the entire property to Ray Mamrak. The rent was $5,000/month and Mamrak was also responsible for utilities. After just six months, Mamrak failed to pay rent or utilities at the property.

Due to Ray Mamrak continuing to be unable to pay rent, The Landis Theater Foundation (LTF) agreed to step in and sponsor the shows at The Landis Theater, and the Vineland Development Corporation (VDC) agreed to pay the operating expenses for the facility. During this time, the LTF signed a management agreement with Ray Mamrak to operate the Landis Theater. Mamrak was responsible for booking all shows, staffing the shows, and operate the sound and lighting existing at the theater, as well as providing any additional sound and lighting as needed.


For compensation under the management agreement, Mamkrak would receive 40% of all ticket sales up to sales of $10,000 per show, with a floor of $1,000 per show if sales were below $2,500. The LTF would pay for all entertainment costs, which were typically 50% or more of ticket sales, with the remaining 10% dedicated to marketing. In reality, marketing efforts averaged 25% of sales, far exceeding the 10% figure. During this time, the VDC paid all utilities while the LTF was sponsoring the shows.


Additionally, Mamrak continued operating his upstairs club, known as “830 East” and “Kaycee Ray’s”, under an agreement requiring him to pay rent for the space as well as all utilities. According to the city provided statement, no rent had been paid since October 2024.

After 14 months, the VDC and LTF could no longer sustain the financial losses. With the opportunity to lease the theater to another tenant, officials met with Mamrak in December 2025 and informed him that his management agreement would end in May 2026, allowing him to fulfill the shows he had already booked through that date.


By April 2025, however, Mamrak and others have taken to social media to blame the theater’s struggles on the city, despite repeated efforts by the city to rescue him from self-inflicted financial problems and to keep him in place as manager far longer than he should have been. Because the VDC operates with taxpayer funding, millions of public dollars were likely squandered trying to keep the theater alive despite his incompetence.



EDITOR’S NOTE: All financial information in this article is public record, and was provided during the Vineland Development Corporation’s Meeting on April 16, 2026.